Yahoo poaches top Google ad exec

MARISSA MAYER: Widely considered to be among the internet industry's brightest executives.

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Yahoo chief executive Marissa Mayer has lured away one of Google's top advertising executives to help engineer a turnaround at Yahoo.

Henrique de Castro is leaving Google to become Yahoo's chief operating officer in early next year.

The surprise move is Mayer's highest profile hiring since she left Google in July to run Yahoo.

By raiding the ranks of her former employer, Mayer risks raising tensions between Yahoo and Google.

The 47-year-old de Castro has been working at Google since 2006. He is currently vice president of a major division that works with Google's advertisers. De Castro will begin work at Yahoo by January 22.

To entice de Castro to defect, Yahoo is giving him a compensation package valued at about US$58 million (NZ$71m).

- AP

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